Something’s Fishy

At Annabel’s school carnival this last Friday, every classroom was responsible for putting together a game/activity booth, complete with prizes. Our booth was mini golf, and our prizes were a bunch of Halloween plastic toys from Oriental Trading company. Most of the other booths followed suit, while some of the activities were the prize, like face painting, temporary tattoos, and crafts.

Because I was there early to set up and run the first shift of the booth, I didn’t get a chance to see what the other classes had put together before the carnival started. I let Annabel walk around with her friend and her friend’s older sister while I was at the class booth, and during my shift I did catch a few glimpses of her having a blast. It makes me happy to see how well she’s settled in.

When I was wrapping up at the booth, Annabel and her friend came running over, all excited. “Mommy, Mommy! Look what I won!”

Mike was literally as excited as Annabel. I felt like maybe I’d fallen into a parallel universe.

When we got home, there was a lot of squealing and looking for just the right container to put the fish in. I was like, “How about the toilet?” and was rewarded with a withering look from Mike and Annabel.

Mike: This vase will hold the fish until tomorrow, when we can go buy something better.
Me: What is happening.
Annabel: I NAMED HIM BUBBLES!

The next day, Mike and the kids hightailed it to the pet store to get fish supplies. I told Mike that if he came home with a giant aquarium, I would kill him. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’m going to get one of those small, self-cleaning aquariums.”

They came home an hour later with a 1.5 gallon tank, some rocks, water conditioner, a “sunken castle,” and fish food.

Anna says:

Hello Heather!
And if I go to your page from my iphone, I am redirected immediately to an advertising page. I have to be really fast to tip on the link of an article, then I can read it. But not from the homepage.
As I love your blog and your articles I started reading it from my laptop.
Kindest Regards from Germany!

Deirdre says:

Jana Frerichs says:

Jen says:

As I read this I look at the goldfish my daughter won six years ago at a Fourth of July carnival. He actually lives on my desk now since my daughter long outgrew his usefulness. No way could I flush him-he’s now the size of my fist.

Jackie says:

Heh. I know of a goldfish like that. His name was Captain Underpants, and he grew to be the size of an apple. Whenever his owners thought he was ailing and that they’d have to say goodbye, he just grew a little more.

This was 10 years ago. I’m kinda afraid to ask the friend who inherited him (his former life was that of a class pet, hence his name) if he still lives and get either answer.

Yeah. That’s how my mom chose to look at it when I brought home the only goldfish I have ever had. I was five. The fish died four days later. I didn’t take it well. A four flush funeral didn’t make it better. Getting a canary didn’t make it better.

Elaine says:

Barbi Emel says:

Welcome to my life, my husband & daughter went to the pet store and came home with 2 lizards, which I hate. Best part, my husband is like they were only $5 a piece, yeah and the damn habitat for them cost $100. Never let dads go to the pet store without you.

Melissa says:

I’ve found the key to longer fish life is to use spring water in the tank. I just get the grocery store brand gallon jug that costs 99 cents. I’ve got a fish that I’ve kept alive for 2 years in my classroom, and my kids have done the same. Cheap goldfish seem to be sturdier we’ve found.

Amy W says:

Oh Heather I am right there with you. As I look at the carnival fish my oldest son won a little over 3 years ago. Goldie is now approximately 9″ long and we ended up going to a 29 gallon tank as she has grown. LOL. Good luck!

Becca says:

I begged my parents for fish when I was a child. BEGGED. They eventually caved and after a few weeks with my treasure I became so bored with them and just wanted them to die. But they wouldn’t.. Not only did they seemingly want to live forever, but they started reproducing so before you knew it I had some 20 fish that I didn’t want living in my bedroom. My house burnt down when I was 10 (no one was home) and when my parents told me what had happened I actually remember my first thought being “well.. at least those fish are finally gone”.

Julie Vidani says:

Aubrey says:

My daughter decided she needed a beta fish. I’ve managed to keep it alive for over a year! I even forget to feed it. A lot. We also got a snail for the stupid thing. Now I don’t have to clean the tank! Which is a huge win. I would definitely suggest getting one. Our fish is named Blue John. And he lives in bikini bottom with SpongeBob and Patrick. He likes to hang out in the easter island head. The snail is of course named Gary.
Good luck with your new pets.

Maris says:

Deirdre says:

But….you have a dog. I can see how a fish might seem like “work” or something if you have a pet-free home. But you already have something that requires waaaaaaay more attention than a fish. You’ll forget those fish are even there. You only need to clean the tank once in awhile, feed them every few days and don’t need to kennel them when you go away. I had a pet free house but my kids and husband came home with beta fish (in separate tanks) earlier this year and I groaned because now I had to take care of something “extra”. But really it’s been no big deal–and it helped to talk to the kids about having realistic expectations about how long a fish might live.

It’s not the work, it’s the dread that they will die soon and my kids will get yet another lesson about death. We’ve told them what to expect but I know that’s not really going to make a difference once the first one goes belly-up.

Emily says:

Kandi Ann Brewer says:

Not at all. I meant what Emily said. So the kids do not have to lose any one else, get look alike fish. I would never intentionally hurt Heather. Heather if I did I am so sorry. I am HFA and my words sometimes come out wrong but are never meant to hurt.

Kendra says:

Yep. Got a goldfish as a white elephant gift at a work Christmas party. Julius is going on two years old now. He’s huge, but they grow to the size of the tank. He has so much personality though, he has become a member of the family!

Rachael says:

Here’s some tips:
Don’t overfeed them,get a snail or one of the algae eating fish to help keep the tank clean. Be thankful that they are generic enough they can be replaced:) Also, be glad it is not Easter. I had to “prove” to my child I was actually allergic to the bunny she won at the spring carnival. Rash lasted a week!!!

Sue says:

Valerie says:

I could not possibly agree with you more about this. They had fish at the little carnival in town last weekend and I begged the universe to make sure that my kids didn’t win one. Thank god we dodged that bullet…at least for another year.

Lisa Niemann says:

So I’ve written before, but I have to tell you again…we are living parallel lives. My son, Skyler, is only a few months older than Annabel and has a very similar personality and almost identical tastes. Hell, we even used to live in CA too until a year ago. They were skeletons the same year, they say the same things at the same time. They get hooked on the same things at the same time. And it doesn’t stop there…even we are similar. I have long red hair and my husband has dark curls! And while you guys are musicians, my husband and I are both professional visual artists. You craft almost the same things I do too. Oh, and I’m a writer as well. It’s kinda creepy…

The latest doppelgangerish thing? The damn fish! Sky also won a fish at the Tulsa State Fair about three weeks ago! I was so not okay with this. Visions of weepy talks and belly up mornings filled my head so I did what any mom in my panicked state would do. I offered a bribe. Legos? More candy? Nope…he was set on it. Then I tried to scare him. He’d have to spend all his allowance helping with the supplies. Nope…he was fine with that. So finally I gave in. But I made him leave the sad looking fish that had been sitting in the hot plastic bag all day and instead bought him a betta at the pet store. Not that they’re treated much better but I hoped for slightly better odds. Seventy six dollars and a stocked two gallon tank later, we were the proud owners of “Kitty”. Ugh. But he loves him and so far is doing well feeding him so, there’s that.

And on the bright side, in case you haven’t heard, we only have to change 25% of the water each week instead of a whole tank change so it’s not quite the pain I also dreaded.

I’m beginning to think I need to go back to blogging so you and I can keep close tabs on what’s coming next for our own tykes…cause I could have warned you it was coming.

Peggy says:

Oh, this sounds so familiar! When my daughter was in kindergarten, she got invited to a birthday party for a boy with whom she was not particularly close friends. I told her that she should go because it is the polite thing to do. And she came out with a bag with a goldfish as her take home bag. Huh? What happened to the bag of sugary candy and cheap plastic prizes? As a friend said at the time, “That’s not a prize. That’s a commitment.”

Well, Nemo became part of the family. Not like our beloved dog or anything, but he was a hearty soul. There were other prize goldfish who didn’t make it, but Nemo did — from kindergarten until 3rd grade. My older daughter brought home a goldfish as part of a science project and we ended up having him room with Nemo. It didn’t work and Nemo died. My poor little third grader was so sad. I felt horrible because I felt like I’d killed Nemo by putting that other stupid wish with him. If not for that, Nemo and Erin may have gone to college together!

Paula says:

I can relate to not needing another thing to keep alive! Our prize fish always died within a week of investing in a self cleaning tank. Your kids will be so heart broken you will cave and replace them.

Amy C. says:

My parents still remind me of my goldfish Candy that lived for years and would never die. LOL!
I felt like this when we made the mistake of getting one of those butterfly habitat things. I didn’t mind the cocoon part when there was no work to be done, but the “birthing” part was disgusting. I came downstairs to find red stuff all over the habitat, and 5 hungry butterflies looking at me. I must admit, I panicked. I saw my life pass before my eyes. Then I got them some sugar water, rounded up the kids and husband, and released the little bastards into the wild. Husband was emotional (he rather liked his role as butterfly Daddy), kids were oblivious, and I was hella relieved.

shallot says:

The Purim Carnival always has a game where kids win goldfish, but I was lucky for several years, since they always ran out before my daughter could win one. This year, I went to pick her up from Jewish school, planning to immediately drive into NY to see some friends. Unfortunately, she had a fish in a plastic baggie. There was no way the thing was gonna live in the baggie in the car while we hung out in the city, so I had to change plans and go to the pet store near the synagogue. I saw several parents from the synagogue leaving when I entered. I was talked into buying a little self-cleaning tank, rocks, bottled water, fish food…cost of $59. I learned from the employees that last year the Purim carnival was the best sale day all year! What a scam — I can only hope the synagogue gets kickbacks….I had to go home and set up the tank before we could go to NY.

Jeanie says:

Maddy says:

Maybe things are just different in NZ where I live but is giving out fish as a prize a common thing over in the States??
The idea of giving a fairly young child a living creature as a prize which needs to be cared for, fed, etc., at the cost of the parents, without one of those parents even being there to agree to it, is very odd to me! The worst you have to deal with here is the occasional sugar overdose

I won a goldfish at a carnival once. I was about 8 years old, and I named him “The Gooch” after the bully that used to beat up on Arnold in the sitcom “Different Strokes” — well, that darn fish lived a long time, I’m talking at least two years if not more. I swear it was because I named him a “tuff” sounding name, and he lived up to it.

Megan says:

I too am surprised they still have goldfish as carnival prizes, especially at a school event. Seems like they’d get a lot of complaints.

But you’re in for a fun few years! My first goldfish, Cleopatra, lived for a week after the carnival. I cried hysterically, so of course my mom had to go buy me new fish. Eventually we were left with just Goldie, who lived to be 5. Then I tried tropical fish for awhile, then a betta, then more goldfish…I was well into my 20s before I gave up on fish. None of them had a name as awesome as Uptown Funk, though.

Emily says:

My sister’s first grade class “grew” (not sure what verb to use) tadpoles. Every kid took one home and most of them lasted a month max. Lily lived for like 5 years and we were all really sad when she died. My mom painstakingly cleaned the tank and bought greenery for Lily to live in and even though she complained about Lily, she was sad too when she went to the great lilypad in the sky.